15 Money-Saving Tips for College Students

Buy your schoolbooks! You can sell them back to the bookstore at the end of the semester for the exact price that it costs the factory to print the materials. The Ranger News reported a record high $15 buyback on a book last semester. “It originally cost me $250,” The lucky returnee told The Ranger News, “but this $15 will help me save up to pay off my student loans…”

Never buy schoolbooks! You waste time (and time is money) when you have to lug around huge books all semester. Instead, opt to buy access codes from the UW-Parkside Bookstore, where they cost up to $10 less than a physical copy. Plus you do not have to worry about selling them back at the end of the semester, since your subscription will run out one week before final exams!

Multitask on the job! The Ranger News knows that college kids have stressful schedules and that it can be difficult to keep up with schoolwork when you are putting in 40 hours at work a week to pay for rent, but if you do your homework on the job you can kill two birds with one stone. Besides, your boss would not think that you are slacking, they will see that you are dedicated!

Walk or bike to work! Cars are costly, so put on your hiking shoes and walk to work! “I live ten miles from my job, but I walk every day,” a student told The Ranger News, “public transit doesn’t come out anywhere near my apartment, so I have to walk in the winter. And now that I have all these classes, I’ve got to carry these books out so I can read them at work…”

Get a credit card! You will need to build credit, otherwise you do not exist to companies and you can not get apartments, cars, or houses!

Do not get a credit card! The temptation to use it will be too much and you will not be able to get out of debt.

Do not waste your money on a health plan at work (if your place of employment offers a health plan, that is). That money comes directly out of your pay and you need to be saving money to pay off your loans.

Instead of investing in a medical plan, try to keep yourself healthy with natural remedies, such as fresh fruit. If you are struggling with mental health benefits, consider investing in a pet to lessen your stress.

Do not buy a pet. Though they are proven to have a plethora of health benefits, especially to those with mental health issues, they are a drain on money!

Do not buy food when you are hungry! You will buy too much food, even if you make a list ahead of time. If you are reading this article and there is nothing in your house, remember: do not shop when hungry. Do not shop when you are out of food. Save that money for your student loans.

Do not buy a meal plan! Even though it gives you half off the price of any food in the Brickstone, if you do not use it by the end of the semester all that money will go down the drain. Never mind that it will cost more if you have to spend non-meal plan money, it is not like you will be spending 10-plus hours on campus a day because you are trying to get out of school in four years or anything.

Cut out your vices! The Ranger News has been informed that smoking and drinking is bad for health, so why not cut it out altogether. Sure, this is the first time in your life that you are legally allowed to drink and smoke (of any kind) is a hallmark of the college experience, but you need to be thinking of those loans!

Take as many classes as possible! And do not shy away from those early morning classes, either! You will need to take as many classes as you can if you do not want to waste your money by being in college longer than necessary.

Do not buy coffee! It is too expensive for college students to afford. If you add up all the money a student pays for coffee for a year, you could slowly chip away at your student loans. You should be getting at least eight hours of sleep anyways, so you do not need coffee!

Do not go on expensive vacations! The Ranger News has done math, and if you saved up those thousands of dollars that you are surely using on expensive spring, summer and winter break vacations you would be able to pay back your student loans in no time flat! And remember, when you finish paying off those loans you can finally start saving for retirement!

*“The Bearly News” is not real news. In fact, you could say it is unreal news. Really, it is real unreal news.